The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-09
CAR-HEATsNG DEVICES.


Great Fortune Waitin. for the Man Who
Will Invent "a Suitable Appliance.
New York Tribune
The New York Central Railroad Company
didn't have anything to do with the collision at
Tifiin O., sn the Baltimore & Ohio railroad on
Tuesday. nor the second accident on the same
day the Boston & Albany line, near Spring
field. Mass, nevertheless there was a bright
individual on hand at tho Grand Central station
early yesterday morning with model of a per
feet scheme Of safely heating cars" which the
bright person wanted to explain to President
Depew. The President was busy and the heat
ing scheme was discovered quickly to be worth
less. He couldn't be persuaded OF that, however.
and it took three men to see him safely out of
the Office
Every accident like those of Tuesday brings
scores Of schemes to this and doubtless to every
other railroad Office said Mr. Depews in con-
versation on the subject Of heating railway cars.
1T is an extremely important question and one
on which ali railroad managers are alert We
are constantly making experiments to find some
plan by aich We warm cars comfortably
and at t.is me time prevent or lessen 'mat6ri-
ally the possibilities of setting fire to wrecked
car In case ot a smash-ub. ! suppose thore have
been FIVE thousand devices to reach this end.
But there isn't which is practicable. In
many there is perhaps single good idea, but, 40
a whole, the particular method won't work On
some lines the stoves are placed under the cars,
but in q trip made with William II. Wander
bilt one time, one of the last trips he made, by
the way we were in coach heated from beneath
the floor Why. We almost froze. Now sup
pose in such a car as that You run into snow
drift. how are you going to get At the stovei
And then they build ram?arts around the stoves.
But these are no protection. for they won't wish-
stand the shock of a collision, and the live ccAis
will scatter from such stove as quickly as from
another. Everythi like that in collision is
wrenched to pieces Such plans gre carefully
tested The latest which we tried was q
stove over which was a tank of water When
the car was tipped smashed into. the water
tank was to be overturned and the fire Qnenched,
but the scheme is complicated, and hasn't sue
ceeded"
What of the possibilities of using steamlS
mo engine pulling train of fourteen to
seventeen cars, some of them Wagner coaches,
each of which is much heavier than an ordinary
passenger car, supply steam enough for the
motive power and for heating. ton That is the
serious obstacle against warming the coaches as
| the elevated road does Besides, we make up
trains here at Forty second street and before the
| train goes out Of the station the engine may be
/ blocks off 1t is not always possible to have an
| engine attached to waiting train simply
| to give heat And another objection to steam ID
that after train has left New York, for exam
| ple it will pick up additional at Poushkeep'
| sic, Albany, Utica, Syracuse and so on. These
cars havo been waiting at these stations In ad-
vance of the coming of the train TO accommo-
date passengers and save time. Often they are
sleepers in which persons have gone to bed early.
/ They must be kept warm, and how is that warmth
| to De had from an engine drawing train miles
/ away! II has been proposed to have special
| boiler attached to the baggage car, with special
| attendant This would give heat to the com-
| plete train; but don't know that the plan has
| ever been nut into any kind of successful opera
| tion. What must be devised is n source OF heat
| for each car without the use of fire. There vii
to pcy fho mn hn
| into practice Columbus left several descend
ants, have always believed. and l have nc
doubt that the brain of soIne embryo Columbus
Is at work now developing the method of the
future for safely heating cars, separate and In
! trains. We are willing to examine everything
| that has any elements Of valne Our superln'
| tendent of motive power has studiea the prob
lcm assidiousy, and has suggested the best iml
| provements which have been made SO far IL
some one VII! only give to the public the rignJ
| thing. you may be sure that railroad men will
call him blessed, and will not only give him oeE-
| edictions, but appreciation of the golden kind"